TargetCancer Foundation Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 264510094
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2015–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Cambridge, MA, USA
- Phone
- 6177654881
- Rating
- 70
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Cancer Research
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $1,261,609
- Expenses
- $839,048
- Assets
- $1,016,178
- Liabilities
- $0
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
11 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Kristen Palma (President/Director)
- James M Palma (Chief Executive Officer)
Highest reported compensation
- James M Palma (Chief Executive Officer): $174,057 total reported compensation
- Kristen Palma (President/Director): $67,330 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
TargetCancer Foundation promotes the development of lifesaving treatment protocols for rare cancers. TargetCancer Foundation directly supports initiatives at the forefront of cancer treatment by funding innovative research, fostering collaborations, and raising awareness among scientists, clinicians, and patients.
What it reported doing in 2024
The specific purposes of the Organization are to raise awareness of and support for research into rare cancers, and to directly support patients and families facing rare cancers. This was accomplished in the fiscal year through the ongoing operation of a rare cancer precision medicine clinical trial, and through other programs. In 2020, TargetCancer Foundation launched a rare cancer precision medicine clinical trial called TCF-001 TRACK (Target Rare Cancer Knowledge). TRACK is a 400-patient clinical trial studying genomics and precision medicine in rare cancers, providing patients with critical personalized genomic data about their cancer and treatment recommendations from a panel of field leaders, and also generating rare cancer research data. TRACK is developed, sponsored and managed by TargetCancer Foundation, and is currently over halfway through its enrollment of patients with rare cancers and cancer of unknown primary.In 2024, TargetCancer Foundation held a major scientific meeting- the Think Tank on Advancing Precision Medicine in Rare Cancers. This unique, innovative meeting unites key stakeholders including clinicians, researchers, government, industry, and patients and advocates. This meeting is specifically designed to promote collaboration, information-sharing and idea generation in an effort to define research priorities, foster new collaborative efforts across institutions, and ultimately propel the field forward.In 2024, TargetCancer Foundation launched its Patient Outreach, Education and Support Program, which provides online and downloadable educational resources designed for patients navigating a rare cancer diagnosis. Theis includes resources such as What is a Rare Cancer, Initial Steps for Navigating a Rare Cancer Diagnosis, Clinical Trials, and Biomarker Testing. In addition, this program includes an educational webinar series intended for patients and caregivers.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 98% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
The verdict
SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 49
- Transparency & Controls: 79
- Accountability: 90
- Sustainability: 66
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 41.6%; rating input score 42
- Program expense ratio: 60.6%; rating input score 61
- Fundraising efficiency: $12.11 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
- Compensation committee: Missing
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Pass
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: Limited
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 81.8%; rating input score 82; 18th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 8 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 100
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: Pass
- Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 33.5%; rating input score 86; 86th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.21; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 28.8%; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 10.7% per year; rating input score 100; 65th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 13.3% per year; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 17.3% per year; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 41.6% of revenue deployed · 60.6% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 9 of 11 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $508K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $174K · 11 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Consistency: 31 of 31 current checks pass
- Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
- Filing history: 9 filing years from 2015 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
- Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
- People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 42/100.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 44/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 49/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 7/100.